A Guide To Self-Confidence
by The Create Card
Summary: At twelve-years-old and after several failed attempts to catch Kari's eye, poor Davis Motomiya has lost his confidence. After hitting his head, a spiritual guide (a famous anime character) arrives to help him get it back...even if it kills him! @_@


Author's Note: Call this another little sudden idea that came to me. I wish I had come up with this one earlier. But the wonder of a timeline is that I can conveniently place this between two of my previous stories. So here's a special little one-shot…with a special guest star.

  


Summary: Taking place shortly after the events of 02 (and towards the beginning of my timeline), Davis Motomiya is still pursuing Kari Kamiya. But after some kind acts by TK Takaishi that seem to be winning Kari over, the unthinkable has happened: Davis is starting to doubt himself! Can a certain…spiritual influence help him regain his self-confidence?

  


**A Guide To Self-Confidence**

  


At twelve years old, Davis Motomiya should have been feeling better than he ever felt in his life. But over the last few weeks, he wasn't feeling good at all. He was feeling down in the dumps.

If there was one word Davis would use to describe himself, it would be 'confidence'. Since day one, Davis exuded confidence. Some even went as far as to call him cocky, but Davis knew he was just full of confidence. And why wouldn't he? He was an awesome soccer player, the leader of the DigiDestined, and pretty handsome to boot. But there was one thing he didn't have.

That was the heart of Kari Kamiya.

He was so sure of himself, at first. Every time he looked at himself in the mirror, he couldn't find anything that Kari wouldn't like. He looked in the mirror and saw the perfect twelve-year-old guy staring back at him. Or at least…that's what he used to see.

In the last few years, there was one thing that made everything go awry…and that was the arrival of TK Takaishi. Since TK first arrived, Davis knew he suddenly had competition. Kari always seemed to look at TK more affectionately. It was like she only had eyes for him. With each passing day, Davis could feel Kari slipping away from him…and towards TK.

With everything that's unfolded over the last few months, Davis was starting to experience something he had never experienced before. He was feeling depressed. He was feeling like a loser. He was feeling…like he lost his confidence.

As Davis looked out the window of him room, he let out a depressed moan. Someone started to pick up on his mood. It was Davis's Digimon partner, Veemon.

"Davish? What's the matter?"

"Veemon…do you ever get the feeling that…Kari likes TK better than me?"

Veemon scratched his head. "Is that a trick question?"

Davis moaned loudly and buried his face in his pillow. Not only did it look like Kari liked TK more, but it was also apparently obvious. Davis never felt so depressed. Seeing this, Veemon decided to lend a hand.

"Davish, what's wrong?"

"Kari doesn't like me, Veemon. I don't know why she would. What would she possibly see in me? There's nothing to like about me."

Veemon frowned. "Davish, I never heard you talk like this before. Usually, you're your biggest fan. I guess you'll need help from your second biggest fan?"

"Who's that?"

"Me! Come on, Davish! Let's see if we can find something to cheer you up!"

Veemon dragged Davis to his feet and started walking him towards his closet. The little blue Digimon opened the door and started looking through the mess that was Davis's closet.

"Hmm…there's a lot of stuff in here. Don't you ever clean this closet?"

"Why should I bother? Give me one good reason to clean my closet."

As if on cue, a bowling ball that was stuck on the top shelf of the closet rolled over and fell.

****BONK****

The bowling ball fell right on top of Davis's head, knocking him senseless. That's when Davis decided it was time to clean his closet.

Unfortunately, he had already blacked out.

* * *

"Davish! Davish! Wake up!"

Davis finally started to come to. He opened his eyes and shook off the cobwebs. When he realized what happened, he sat right up.

"Where am I?"

"Still in your room. You were out for a few hours. That bowling ball hit you pretty hard."

Davis rubbed his head. "That really hurt. I hope I didn't scramble my brains."

"No, you didn't scramble your brains," a deep voice said. "But you did hit your head in just the right place."

Davis's eyes widened when he heard that voice. It wasn't any voice he had ever heard. That's when he turned his head to see someone sitting on his bed. It was a young man in an unbuttoned blue jacket, which he wore over a purple shirt. He had matching blue pants and boots. His hair was red, with the front locks a golden yellow. And he had a pair of confident purple eyes.

"Hey! Who are you?!" Davis demanded. "And how did you get in my room?!"

The guy stood up and chuckled. "Isn't it obvious, Davis? I'm not really here. You see, I'm here to act as a spiritual guide. You have a problem and I'm here to help you through it. However, I couldn't come out until you hit your head in just the right place. Now your brain's in just the right place for you to see me."

"Wait a minute! Back up a few steps. You're…not really here?"

Veemon tugged at Davis's arm. "Davish? Who are you talking to?"

The guy smirked. "I believe that says it all. I am merely a spiritual image here to help you with your problem."

"And what problem is that?" Davis asked curiously.

"Davis Motomiya, you have lost your self-confidence!" the guy boomed. "And I am here to help you get it back!"

Davis was in shock. "How did you know about that? Who are you?" He looked closer. "You look familiar."

The guy's smirk remained as he extended his hand. "My name is Yami…but you can call me Yugi. And I will be your spiritual guide."

"Now I get it! I've heard of you! You're…HEY! How can you be a spiritual guide? You aren't even dead!"

Yugi sighed. "First of all, it's YUGI who isn't dead. He's very much alive. I am very much a spirit. However, while the Millennium Puzzle is momentarily deactivated while Yugi has his vacation, I've decided to do a good deed. The fact that I look like Yugi is nothing more than a coincidence. I've merely taken his form. I've come because I want to help you out, Davis. I want to help you be confident again."

"You're going to help me?" Davis asked skeptically.

Yugi chuckled. "Confidence is my middle name. If anyone can help you, it's me."

By this time, Veemon was by Davis's bed, hanging his head down. "Poor, poor Davish. He's lost his mind."

"Ok, I accept," Davis grinned. "So…what do we do first?"

Yugi looked out the window. "First, we go outside…"

* * *

Davis soon found himself in a diner that had just been built in the outskirts of Odaiba. He had never been here before and had heard good things about the food, so he was more than happy to take Yugi's suggestion of coming out here.

Yugi sat across from Davis and nodded. "I'm very well aware of your problem, Davis. You've lost the confidence it takes to pursue your friend, Kari. However, there's no need for you to worry. I will help you regain your confidence through…**YAMI'S GUIDE TO SELF-CONFIDENCE**!!"

****BOOM****

Davis cringed as he heard a thunderclap outside. "What was that?"

"That's there for dramatic effect," Yugi answered casually. "Anyway, the first step of…**YAMI'S GUIDE TO SELF-CONFIDENCE**…" 

****BOOM****

"…is to never display any fear…even if fear is there. Always keep it cool. For this particular example, I'd like you to…try and pick up that waitress that's coming towards us."

Davis looked over to see that an attractive young waitress, about 16 years old, was coming his way. He didn't have much confidence in himself, but he looked over at Yugi and saw that he wasn't shaken at all.

"Can I take your order?" the waitress asked.

Davis thought about that. "Sure! I'd just like a double cheeseburger…and some fries to go with that shake."

The waitress didn't take too kindly to that. She grabbed a nearby cold soda and poured it over Davis's head before crunching the plastic cup over his skull. Spiritual guide Yugi cringed as he saw the scene go down. The waitress finished up by pouring ketchup over Davis's head and storming off.

Yugi shook his head. "This will be harder than I thought."

* * *

The scene was now shifted to the local park. After Davis's disastrous encounter with the diner waitress, Yugi decided that now would be the best time to try something else.

"I'll admit that things didn't go well that first time," Yugi admitted. "But fear not, Davis. For now we'll move to step two. And step two of…**YAMI'S GUIDE TO SELF-CONFIDENCE**…"

****BOOM****

"…is to focus on your strengths. Tell me, Davis. What are you superior at?"

"Superior?" Davis repeated. "I don't know. I never thought of that before."

"Oh, come now. You have to be good at something!"

"Well…I guess I'm a good athlete. Does that count for anything?"

"Of course it does!" Yugi exclaimed. "Being physically fit is something to be proud of! And being the MOST physically fit can set you apart from everybody else! Now we're getting somewhere!

"And that'll lead us into step three of…**YAMI'S GUIDE TO SELF-CONFIDENCE**!!" 

****BOOM****

Davis cringed again. "W-What's step three?"

"Step three is to use your strengths to overcome any and all challenges…and challengers. Using your skills to overcome challenges is a great way to feel good about yourself…and know you're better than others! It's something I like to call reassurance through crushing weakness."

"Is that how YOU get so confident?" Davis asked curiously.

"You haven't seen me work, have you?" Yugi smirked. He looked around at all the people walking around. "Hmm…there must be some way for you to demonstrate your superior ability."

As if on cue…

"Hey, Davis!"

Davis turned around to see fourteen-year-old Yolei Inoue. "Um…hey, Yolei."

"It's kinda weird to see you out here by yourself. I actually thought you'd be trying to do something for Kari."

Since he was busy conversing with a spiritual guide, Davis didn't think it was the best time for Yolei to show up. Spiritual guide Yugi, however, found this to be very convenient.

"Here's your chance, Davis," Yugi told him. "Prove that you hold superior skills. Challenge this young lady to some sort of athletic competition."

Davis sweatdropped and whispered to Yugi, "You want me to challenge Yolei?"

Yugi smirked. "We've got to start somewhere."

"Are you sure about this?" Davis whispered back.

"Davis, who are you talking to?" Yolei asked curiously.

"Uh…no one!" Davis replied nervously. "Hey, Yolei! Are you busy right now? I was wondering if you'd…like to have a race! One-on-one!"

Yolei blinked. "Why the sudden urge to race?"

"I just felt like racing someone! So come on, what do you say? From here over to…that tree way over there!"

Yolei scoffed. "You're on!"

With that, Davis and Yolei took their positions side-by-side and got ready to race. They both eyed the walkway that led to the tree they were racing to.

"Ready…set…GO!"

Davis and Yolei got fast starts and were running side-by-side. Using his inner reserves early, Davis sprinted ahead early. Unfortunately, it hadn't even been an hour since Davis had that pair of double cheeseburgers at the diner, so he was exhausting himself very quickly. Seconds later, he noticed that Yolei was starting to pass him.

Yolei was now ahead of him and looking to reach the tree first. She was about to win. Feeling panicked, Davis tried to tap into his second wind. Just as he was getting it, though, he didn't notice a little skateboard roll onto his path out of nowhere. Davis inadvertently stepped on the skateboard and found himself rolling down the pathway. Yet it STILL wasn't enough to beat Yolei, who had already made it to the tree.

"I win!"

Davis, much to his dismay, couldn't stop. The skateboard kept rolling past the tree, taking Davis with it. The board hit a rock, sending the goggle boy flying into the air, until he landed…

****SPLASH****

…in the pond.

Yolei walked over and grinned. "Good race, Davis! I'd better get home! We should do that again sometime!"

With that, Yolei jogged off. When Davis raised his head out of the pond, he saw Yugi sitting on the edge, just shaking his head.

"You lost…to a girl. How disappointing. I see I'll have to do something drastic."

* * *

Davis looked around and found himself inside Odaiba's fitness center. He was sitting on top of a balance beam while Yugi just paced back and forth.

"You know, I can't help but notice something, Davis. Despite some of your strengths, you seem a little…what's the word I'm looking for…clumsy."

"No kidding," Davis muttered under his breath.

"But I'm going to help you fix that! For that, we have the fourth and final step of…**YAMI'S GUIDE TO SELF-CONFIDENCE**!!"

****BOOM****

Davis sweatdropped. "I'm afraid to ask. What is it?"

"Most people feel inferior because they have an abundance of weaknesses," Yugi explained. "What you must do is conquer your weakness! Turn your weakness into a strength and it will no longer be a weakness. Then you'll have nothing to feel inferior about. For you, Davis, we are going to conquer your weakness of clumsiness."

"I'm not THAT clumsy!" Davis whined.

"And Alaska isn't that cold," Yugi scoffed. "So to overcome your clumsiness, you need to learn proper balance. And there's no better way to learn balance…than through a balance beam. I'd like you to walk from one end of the balance beam to the other."

Davis seemed skeptical. "You mean that's it? No catch?"

"No catch," Yugi said innocently. "Just keep your balance. That's all I ask."

Davis was already feeling more confident. "HA! That sounds easy!"

Davis eagerly got on the narrow balance beam and started moving forward, gently placing one foot in front of the other. He was determined to prove that he wasn't as big a klutz as people thought he was. Now he was about halfway through the 20-foot-long beam. He could feel that he was going to make it without falling off.

But alas, again it proved to sound a lot easier than it was. Because it was at that moment that things started to go awry. One of the fitness center's coaches walked in and blew a whistle.

"Ok, kids! DODGE BALL!"

Davis cringed at the sound of those two words. Sure enough, at the mere sound of a whistle, big red balls started flying all over the place. Davis could only stop in his tracks as the balls were flying. Then he shook it off. He knew he had to get to the other side. So he kept going towards the end while trying to maintain his poise. But just as he reached the end…

****BONK****

Davis got clobbered in the head with a dodge ball. And that opened the floodgates, because more and more dodge balls started nailing him from all sides. Finally and mercifully, Davis fell off the balance beam…and landed on his back.

Davis looked up at the ceiling. "I hate dodge ball!"

* * *

Davis had an ice pack on his shoulder as he walked through the park. He wished more than anything that he could ditch this spiritual guide, but there was Yugi, walking by his side.

"You came very close that time, Davis, but you didn't quite make it. You came so close to overwhelming your weakness."

"It's too bad I couldn't prove I wasn't a klutz like people say I am," Davis muttered.

Yugi nodded. "But you did a fine job. It's such a shame I'll have to leave you very soon."

Davis found that to be rather sudden. "You're leaving?"

Yugi nodded again. "But at least I got a chance to work with you and try to regain your confidence. I'm just disappointed that we couldn't apply step four to your other weakness."

"Other weakness? What do you mean?"

"Your intelligence and common sense. We probably should have worked on that. But then again…I don't have all century."

"HEY! I am NOT that dumb!"

"Uh-huh. And Egypt is not that hot."

"I mean it! You know what? I've had it with you! You're supposed to be some spiritual guide here to help me get my confidence back! But since I ran into you, all you've done is make me feel worse about myself! Who do you think you are?!

"You may be some spiritual guide, but you don't know me at all! I'm not as weak as you think I am! Just because I lost one race to Yolei doesn't mean that I'm still not the best athlete in Odaiba! Just because I couldn't walk through a balance beam with dodge balls coming at me doesn't mean I can't act under pressure. I've been through pressure more times than you can count and not only did I make it through, but I've looked good doing it! And just because I got turned down by one waitress doesn't mean that I'm not a cool and ruggedly handsome guy! Any girl would LOVE to have me! Even Kari! So don't you come here telling me…"

Davis was interrupted when he saw that Yugi…was applauding. The goggle boy didn't know what to make of that at all.

"Congratulations, Davis," Yugi smirked. "You are now self-confident!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"That tirade you just went on. That showed me that you DO believe in yourself. And now that you have regained your lost confidence, then my work is done."

Davis thought about that. "Hey! I DO feel good about myself! I can't believe I ever lost my confidence! I mean…why should I? I'm an amazing guy! I rule!"

"Um…Davis…maybe you should stop before…"

"How could I ever doubt myself? I have the kind of stuff guys like TK could only dream of having!"

It was too late. Davis had crossed the line from confidence…to cockiness.

Yugi just shrugged. "Be that as it may, it's time for me to go."

Davis frowned. "So…you're leaving?"

Yugi started walking with Davis. They were both walking forward as Yugi kept that confident smirk on his face.

"Yes, Davis, I'm leaving. For you see, I can't stay here forever. I can't even stay here a day. The moment Yugi reactivates the Millennium Puzzle, I'll be going to him. And as for you, your brain is about to be put back in its proper place, where it was before you were able to see me…as soon as you crash into this tree, which should happen right about…"

****CRASH****

As Yugi predicted, Davis walked right into the tree since he wasn't watching where he was going. And when he hit the tree, a coconut fell down…

****BONK****

…and knocked him senseless.

* * *

"Davis! Davis! Wake up!"

Davis finally came to. The first thing that came to his mind was that he had never seen a coconut tree in this park before. Then he looked around and realized that he saw…his spiritual guide was gone. But that's when something else hit him. It was the voice calling out to him. Davis finally turned his head…and smiled.

"Are you ok?"

It was twelve-year-old Kari Kamiya with a look of concern on her face. It was like she was desperately trying to wake him up.

Davis smiled dreamily. "Hi, Kari! What are you doing here?"

"I came to take a walk and I found you here out cold! What happened?"

Davis reached over for that coconut…which had split in two from landing on Davis's hard head. "This happened."

"Will you be alright?"

Davis got to his feet. "I'm a tough guy! I can walk it off. Maybe I can walk you home?"

Kari thought about that…and nodded. "Sure!"

It was an awkward day to say the least, but for Davis Motomiya, it was coming to a happy end. He had regained his lost confidence AND he was walking Kari home. There was only one thing that could make it better.

"So I guess this means you'll go out with me?"

Kari giggled. "Davis, I think that coconut must have scrambled your brains."

Davis rubbed his head. He had been shot down again. But if there was one word Davis would use to describe himself…it would be 'persistent'.

He wasn't about to give up.

  


**THE END**

  


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